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Where your tax dollars go

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published October 6, 2006

Inflation has been eating our raises for the past three years. Gas costs more. Home insurance costs more. Even ice cream costs more. So who among us didn't look a little closer than usual at the proposed tax bill that arrived in the mail at the end of August? Quite a few taxpayers took angry note of the growing bottom line and demanded relief. They got results from Hillsborough County commissioners, who cut their proposed tax rate by more than 50 cents. The point was loosening government's grip on their wallets, even if it meant cutting some services. What, exactly, do local governments do with the taxes they collect? Sometimes the services are so invisible it's easy to say you don't want to pay for them. Let's take a look at a variety of these functions we pay for, whether we use them or not.

29.5% - COUNTY 

The general county government operations account for almost $3 of every $10 you pay in taxes.

Everyone living in the county pays this rate, which covers many large bureaucracies you really hope to have little contact with.

The bigger ones include jails, courts and the Sheriff's Office. Some of the lesser endeavors that the tax pays for are animal control and indigent care.

County commissioners did cut their proposed rate, stripping money from programs like one that helps victims of domestic violence.

35.2% - PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

For its one-third share of the taxes collected, the School Board runs 206 schools plus a handful of specialized education programs, serving more than 190,000 students.

A large portion of the revenue - this year $379-million - goes to the state for redistribution on a per-student basis. Some counties get more than they send in; others receive less.

Student-rich, property-poor Hillsborough County stands to get back more than it sends - $651-million (or so) this year.

A smaller portion, set at the School Board's discretion, stays here to pay for construction, salaries and items the School Board chooses to purchase.

23.1% - MSTU

People living in unincorporated Hillsborough County pay the municipal services taxing unit.

The tax supports fire-rescue, sheriff's deputy patrols, road maintenance, stormwater control and code enforcement.

Consider this an insurance tax. You may not need an ambulance or help from a sheriff's deputy today, but when the time comes, you'll be glad you paid.

3.1% - WATER MANAGEMENT

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is a 16-county state agency perhaps best known for recommending that you not water the lawn so much and that you landscape with Florida-friendly plants.

Broadly, the agency tries to protect and manage water resources.

To better identify local needs, it employs regional water basin boards, with which it splits revenue.

Where does the money go? Toward projects that probably matter, but on waters that you probably never heard of and couldn't find without good directions.

One such project would divert excess water from Lake Pretty to overpumped Horse Lake, Lake Raleigh and Lake Rogers in Keystone. Cost: $240,000.

3.1% - LIBRARIES 

The library tax helps cover library costs. You know, computer stations, books, other stuff to read and the buildings that hold them.

The amount is lower than it might be, because the city and county libraries get extra state funding as a combined regional system than they would separately, county budget manager Rick Van Arsdall says.

1% - PORT AUTHORITY

The Port Authority dropped its rate below the level it would have needed to maintain its budget of a year ago. That's almost unheard of these days.

Still, when was the last time you visited the port? Took a cruise? Shopped at Channelside?

That shouldn't matter, says port spokesman John Thorington, who acknowledges that the question often arises.

"The Port of Tampa touches just about every economic (area) of the region," he responds. The state's largest seaport by tonnage brings in fuel, cars, construction materials and other items that keep the economy humming.

The taxes the port collects go only toward public construction projects like berths and warehouses. Salaries, port operations or things under private control get none.

You might note that Tampa International Airport plays a similar role as the seaport, yet the Aviation Authority does not invoke its taxing power. What's up with that? Passengers pay a fee that defrays construction and maintenance costs. Airlines pay fees to fly in and out, and retailers pay leases to operate in the airport. Bottom line: The Aviation Authority doesn't need taxpayers to foot its bills.

2.3% - CHILDREN'S BOARD

In 2005, the Hillsborough County Children's Board reports, the agency worked with 178 programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and the YMCA, serving about 87,000 children and families.

To do this, the Children's Board uses its voter-approved tax money to leverage when seeking otherwise inaccessible outside grants.

If you consider it an investment, your return is $4.47 for every $1, according to the group's records. Still, the agency gets its share of questions about its taxes, too.

"It's pretty much like clockwork," says spokeswoman Carolyn Eastman. "As soon as the TRIM notices go out, within three to four days I get the calls from people."

One of the more common questions is whether the group supports agencies that provide abortions.

It doesn't.

2.3% - TRANSIT AUTHORITY 

The owner of a $200,000 home with a homestead exemption would pay $88.50 in taxes to HARTLine. That's 70 one-way rides.

The tax money goes for system operations; federal grants cover things like buses and shelters.

Fares comprise just 22 percent of the authority's revenue. Public transportation does not pay for itself.

But think about this: The bus system keeps maybe 35,000 cars off the road daily.

0.4% - OTHER 

ENVIRONMENTAL LANDS: Approved by voters in the early 1990s to protect sensitive land by buying it, the program nets 0.3 percent of the tax bill. Unless voters reauthorize it, the program expires in 2011.

PARKS AND REC: Just 0.1 percent of the tax bill goes toward county parks.

[Last modified October 5, 2006, 06:51:11]